Dwight is set to Jet Down Under

Nov 27 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

AUSTRALIAN League side Newcastle Jets were last night hoping to persuade Dwight Yorke to effectively end his Sunderland career as El-Hadji Diouf and Pascal Chimbonda played to prolong theirs.

As the out-of-favour summer signings were turning out for the Black Cats’ reserves against Sheffield United, the Jets were waiting for news on Yorke’s future.

Owner Con Constantine revealed the Jets have been in discussions with the 37-year-old about a temporary deal to return to the league where he played before joining Sunderland.

Newcastle Jets are looking to replace Ecuadorian Edmundo Zura and their qualification for the Asian Champions League, plus their flagging domestic campaign, has persuaded them to break their wage structure for “marquee players”. The reigning champions are six points off an A-League play-off place with nine games left, amid growing fears that March’s lucrative Asian Champions League campaign could be an embarrassment.

“We are talking to Dwight and hope to have an answer in the next 24 hours,” Constantine told The Herald newspaper in Australia yesterday. It is thought the arrangement would be a six-month loan, taking him to the very back end of his Sunderland contract.

Yorke spent the 2005-06 season with Sydney FC and expected to end his career in Australia until former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane persuaded him to return to England.

The Central Coast Mariners were interested in signing Yorke last summer, only for him to agree a new one-year deal at the Stadium of Light. It would be no surprise if both parties were not regretting that now.

Yorke has started just three matches this term – surely less than he would have expected – despite being named man-of-the-match in the first, against Arsenal. When he penned his new contract, the Black Cats were struggling to make headway in the transfer market.

Afterwards they signed a plethora of midfielders. And Keane admitted earlier this season he would not have given his friend a new deal had he known

Yorke would come out of international retirement. Yorke represented Trinidad and Tobago in what was billed as a one-off farewell friendly against England in Port of Spain in June. But that became permanent when he was restored to the captaincy.

In some ways, Yorke’s departure would be good news for Sunderland. Such has been the frantic transfer activity under Keane that the club’s official website now lists 51 first-teamers, a number he will be under pressure to reduce in the New Year. A loan would technically leave Yorke as one of the 51 – he would just become the 14th on loan – but he could be written off the wage bill.

A permanent move does not appeal to the Jets, who will upgrade striker Joel Griffiths to marquee status next season.

If belts are to be tightened in January, Diouf and Chimbonda will be under threat. The former’s performances have failed to live up to expectations, as has the latter’s attitude, hence their involvement in last night’s reserve League Cup game against the Blades.

Diouf joined from Bolton Wanderers for £2.5m this summer, but no longer seems to be in Keane’s strongest XI. Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cissé are his first-choice strike pairing, and Steed Malbranque is established on the right of midfield. The Senegalese forward has not started since October.

Diouf compounded the problem when he, Chimbonda and Cissé were disciplined for attending Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins’ birthday party last month. Sweden international Rade Prica, who has not played all season, was also in South Yorkshire last night and Sunderland would welcome a bid for their £2m signing from Aalborg. “It would be great if things could change for me here, but if not then I hope in January to get something new,” he said.